


Wounds Made of Words

by ChiaRoseKuro



Series: A World of One's Own [18]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Cheating, Drabble, F/M, M/M, No Dialogue, Prompt Fic, Relationship Study, Songfic, until there is 900 words in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 20:20:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17210249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChiaRoseKuro/pseuds/ChiaRoseKuro
Summary: But the signs were always there, weren’t they?No initiation beyond the very first date, no variation in a love that should’ve been anything but routine duty. Whispers of indecency between Naruto and Sasuke grow and Hinata speaks up less and less, bowing her head and hurrying on when people laugh behind their hands.Where’s Daddy?is an all too common question that she cannot answer, and Naruto has no answer to give her beyond work.Work,work,work—this is not the man she married, and Hinata…(his story was never going to be anything but a tragedy, and only the same could be said for hers)





	Wounds Made of Words

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write a drabble from either Hinata's or Sakura's perspective, but it took two false starts and a lot of thinking before I could finally write it out. Those of you who'd like to fit this into the main chronology of the trilogy will probably hate me for saying this... but this drabble spans across the entirety of the series. If it helps, though, the final two scenes occur somewhere in the middle of _Because You Left Me_. And like just about every other story in this series, there are mentions of homosexual behaviour and infidelity... so if that's not for you, then the 'back' button is there and available on your browser.
> 
> Special thanks to EXO's _Love Shot_ for inspiring me during the hour and a bit it took to write this, the prompt 'I've been waiting a long time for you' for providing the driving plot behind the drabble, and a decently long train ride for giving me the excuse to sit down and bash out a drabble instead of losing myself in roleplaying. Also, here's another shoutout to [Azrina](https://azag24.tumblr.com/) for promoting the series with a glowing description of it [here](https://azag24.tumblr.com/post/181416053378/merry-christmas-if-you-celebrate-i-was-wondering)! The feels I got from seeing someone spread the love heavily motivated me to add another instalment to this, so please thank Azrina for this!

* * *

 

It starts like this:

Naruto looks at Hinata—really _looks_ at her, beyond the distant disinterest of friends and comrades-in-arms—on the day her cousin dies, felled by an otherworldly entity she has no hope of defeating. He clasps her hand in his own, lets the mad rush of the Nine-Tails’ chakra swallow her whole, and all she can think is _finally_. Thinks _he loves me, he finally **sees** me_, and for all that Neji is dead at her feet… her tears are sad, but they are not entirely sad.

She dreams of a life with him, kisses to start the day and kisses to end it just as sweetly. While he puts his life on the line for everyone—and for _her_ —she dreams of their children, their home, their _future_.

When Kaguya is finally defeated and the whole ninja world falls at Naruto’s feet, Hinata is right there with them. When Naruto is welcomed home as the world’s hero—she is the first to lead the joyful procession, to cherish his past and his present and his future.

Konoha’s love for Naruto might be predicated on his successes, but Hinata has always loved him since the moment he’d smiled at her. And when he shows up at her door with a bouquet, scratching his head sheepishly and looking rakishly handsome—

_I love you,_ Hinata finally dares to tell him, and he whispers it just as sweetly in her ear seconds later.

It’s slow burn on her part and a whirlwind romance on his—date after date, from Teuchi’s humble ramen stand to the precarious perch atop the Hokage monument, and still his eyes are gentle and his words sugary-sweet. Her father, once opposed to the very _idea_ of Naruto’s existence, is unreserved in his blessings when Naruto formally petitions for her hand in marriage, and the rest of the day is spent in tears and laughter. _I love you so much,_ Hinata cries into his chest, and Naruto brushes careful hands through her hair and says it right back.

And then, the wedding day. Face flushed in pleasure, eyes sparkling with love—if Hinata didn’t already know she was firmly, irrevocably in love with Naruto, that would be the moment her heart confirmed it for her. _I do,_ she says without a hint of nervousness or shyness in her tone, and Naruto echoes it in his strong, bright voice. Everyone wishes them well—even Sasuke, clasping Naruto’s hand and then carefully embracing Hinata, has a faint smile on his face—and it’s perfect.

Months slip by and Naruto becomes the Seventh Hokage. Years, and then Hinata is the mother of two wonderful children. Naruto is busy, there is no doubt about it, but he returns whenever he can and kisses her on the cheeks, cuddles her close at night—and everything is fine.

_I love you,_ she whispers as she falls asleep, and she almost feels him mouth the words against her hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(but she should’ve known that Naruto was never the soft or gentle prince he was with her)

(what could she expect from a frog whose eyes always strayed to another?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It continues like this, because people live beyond their happy endings:

What begins as Boruto’s uneasy _Uncle Sasuke’s a little close to Dad these days_ becomes the civilians’ derisive _our Seventh shouldn’t be consorting so frequently with someone who was once a traitor_. Hinata stands firm in the face of it, utterly faithful to her husband even though his hugs and smiles grow just a touch more distance and his visits are just a little shorter and further in between than she’d like, and she speaks up against it. _They’re just friends_ and _former team members with a rich history are like that_ and she places belief in her words, so much so that everyone else is infected by it.

After all, why would she lie? Why would someone so devoted to being Naruto’s wife, the best mother and clan head and one of the village’s strongest, have to gain from covering up his misdeeds?

Naruto brushes it off every time Hinata tentatively brings up the dissent, _it’s just tongues wagging_ and _I’m used to this sort of behaviour_ sending lances through her heart but soothing it nonetheless. More soft hugs, more gentle kisses, and her worries fade with the onset of warmth.

_I love you,_ she whispers to him, and hears him whisper it right back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the signs were always there, weren’t they?

No initiation beyond the very first date, no variation in a love that should’ve been anything but routine duty. Whispers of indecency between Naruto and Sasuke grow and Hinata speaks up less and less, bowing her head and hurrying on when people laugh behind their hands. _Where’s Daddy?_ is an all too common question that she cannot answer, and Naruto has no answer to give her beyond _work_.

Work, _work, **work**_ —this is not the man she married, and Hinata…

(all that faith, all that love, and Naruto had repaid her by sleeping with Sasuke throughout their courtship and marriage)

(it ends when she confronts him at the Hokage Tower with her children and best friend by her side, and…)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I love you. I’ve always loved you. So why would you do this to me?”

“…Nothing I say will ever heal the rift between us, will it?”

“No, Naruto, the time for healing is over.”

“Then nothing I say will matter.”

“…Then leave. Just leave.”

**Author's Note:**

> For further author notes and other things related to this fic or series, feel free to check out my [blog](https://chiarosekuro.wordpress.com/). Alternately, potential prompts and other sorts of inspiration can be found on my [Tumblr](https://chroku-n.tumblr.com/) if that tickles your fancy instead.


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